The Wizard Of Oz?
by MeB XanWill4Ever
Summary: The Green Goblin pays Sunnydale a visit.
1. Part 1

THE WIZARD OF...OZ?  
  
This story is for E. James Burns. He gave me a challenge. I hope I've lived up to it. I started this back in July. There were major errors in it, and so with the help of E. James Burns, and Mark W, we finally ironed them out. Hope you like this nightmare of mine. I loved it, hated it, wanted to burn it, blah, blah, blah. Proceed at your own risk.  
  
Author: MeB aka XanWill4Ever  
  
Email: lenoxfiles@hotmail.com  
  
Pairing: Willow/Oz...I had to for this story.  
  
Spoiler: Season 2. There is AU in this story.  
  
Summary: What if Spider-Man wasn't the Green Goblins arch enemy? What if it was Buffy, the Vampire Slayer? Spider-Man does not make an appearance.  
  
Disclaimer: All characters of Buffy tVS are the property of Joss. Characters from Spider-Man belong to Stan Lee.  
  
Rating - PG-13  
  
xwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxwxw  
  
Part 1  
  
Norman Osborn stood with his son, Harry, in the driveway of his new home, a huge mansion sitting with a commanding view of all Sunnydale. Osborn smiled to himself- everything was going according to plan. Everything.  
  
Except for one small detail.  
  
He had to find a way to keep his son busy. Harry must not get near his work. No, not yet. The time would come when the son would carry on the "Father's Work", but that time was not near as of yet. Soon. But first, he had to find that which he sought the most.  
  
The Orb of Herboverda.  
  
The orb was an orb of dark power, and once that orb was in his possession, then all would be ready.  
  
Osborn smiled.  
  
"Dad," Harry said, interrupting his father's thoughts, "tell me why we had to move from Manhattan again? I miss my friends."  
  
Osborn didn't look at him. "You'll make new friends."  
  
"That's easy for you to say."  
  
"Listen, son. Your cousin Daniel promised to take you along with him and introduce you around. So don't sweat it so much. Okay? This is important to me and important to Osborn Industries which, by the way, will some day be yours." He turned to look at his son. There was a twitch in his eye. "Do you understand? Can you help your old man out?"  
  
Harry looked up at his father. He knew that there was something wrong with him. Something had happened to him back at the lab at Osborn Industries HQ in New York. He just didn't know what it was, but whatever had happened, it had changed his father. It was like there were two of them. One minute, he was his old Norman Osborn self. The next...he was just plain mad.  
  
Something was wrong.  
  
Terribly wrong.  
  
Harry let out a sigh. "Sure, Dad. I'll help you out."  
  
But who was going to help him out?  
  
***************************************************  
  
"Oz!!" called the voice of the one and only girl he was crazy about. Daniel Ozbourne turned his head as he opened his locker and there she was.  
  
Willow Rosenberg ran up to him and gave him a quick happy kiss on the lips. "Hi, boyfriend of mine!" she greeted excitedly. "What'cha doing?"  
  
Oz looked into her eyes. "Aside from preparing to do battle against the hordes of homework and the dirty looks from ancient teachers...I'm standing with the only girl I want to be with." He hesitated. "You make it hard for a guy to keep his thoughts clean."  
  
Willow looked at him. "Oh, uh...are you thinking about us doing something dirty? Uh, it-it isn't anywhere near pond scum, is it? 'Cause that's where frogs are..." She shook her head. "A-and I don't like frogs."  
  
Oz smiled inwardly. He loved Willow more and more every day. "No, Willow. My thoughts are definitely not taking us anywhere within miles of pond scum." He put his pack around his shoulders. "Listen, I've got to go and meet my cousin. He's new today and I need to break him in. You know...introduce him around. Get him ready for living on the Hellmouth. That kind of thing. You want to meet him?"  
  
"Oh, sure. Hey, maybe we'll take him to the Bronze tonight with the rest of the Scoobies. We'll set him straight in no time. Make him feel right at home."  
  
Oz nodded. "That's a plus."  
  
Together they walked out through the front doors of the school and there was Harry, walking toward them.  
  
"Harry," Oz said with a nod of greeting. "This is my girlfriend, Willow."  
  
Willow beamed at Harry. "I'm Oz' girl friend," she repeated, as if she still couldn't believe she had an actual boy friend. She held out her hand. "Welcome to Sunnydale."  
  
Harry shook her hand as he glanced at her hair. "Another girl with red hair," he muttered to himself. "What is it with red hair?" He thought of a girl named Mary Jane and shook his head. "Uh, I'm Harry. Harry Osborn."  
  
"Oh...like Daniel Ozbourne." Willow looked at Oz. "You both have the same last names. Are you sure you're not brothers?"  
  
"I'm reasonably sure." Oz tilted his head to look at her. "We're cousins."  
  
Willow tried to be secretive, and she leaned closer to Oz. "Uh, Oz...does the 'you know what' thing you do on a...full moon run in your family?"  
  
Oz nodded. "In a way, yes. But Harry and his dad are as normal as you are."  
  
"Oh, that's good." She smiled. "I'm normal."  
  
"Of course. You're Normal Girl."  
  
Harry let out a sigh, having listend to both Oz and Willow in spite of her trying to be secretive. "Dan, you're terribly mistaken, you know. My father isn't normal. He's far from it." He looked thoughtful.  
  
To Willow, he looked sad. "Hey, well...cheer up, Harry. We'll make you feel right at home here in Sunnydale." She mistook his sadness for being homesick. She had no idea that he was concerned about matters that were far more pressing than having to adjust to a new life.  
  
They went to class, and afterward, they met in the library where the other Scoobies were.  
  
"This is Xander, and Cordelia," Willow introduced Harry to her friends. "Oh, and this is Mr. Giles, our librarian."  
  
Harry nodded to them.  
  
"Welcome to Sunnydale," Xander Harris said as he shook Harry's hand. "You're going to love it here." He chuckled. "I mean, you might love it here, 'cause, my new friend, you're going to see the world in a whole new light once you--"  
  
"Xander," Rupert Giles said sharply, "you a-are rambling again. That has really become a rather annoying habit of yours."  
  
Xander held up his hands defensively. "Hey...I thought my jokes were annoying, or the way I drool on your precious books when I fall asleep at the table. Those are annoying habits." He pointed at Giles. "No one ever said to me anything about my 'rambling' being annoying."  
  
Giles shook his head. "No. Actually, th-that drooling of yours is a dis- disgusting habit. You just don't drool on leather bound books. I-it just doesn't happen."  
  
"Giles, it was just one book!"  
  
"No, Xander. It was fourteen books by-by my last count. The Ars Revo Orbos Vortaro was the fifteenth book you drooled on. This-this is a very rare book, and I-I can't believe you-you mistreated it in such a fashion."  
  
Xander shrugged. "Well, hey. I was tired, it was lying there, and it just looked like a comfy pillow at the time."  
  
He frowned unhappily, holding the very book in question in his hand. "Well, I-I don't think that spot will ever be removed." Giles looked at the cover of the book and suddenly looked puzzled.  
  
"Try Oxy-Clear!"  
  
Giles looked up. "Th-that's odd."  
  
"What now? I did NOT draw any doodles in that book. Willow is the only one who doodle's here."  
  
Willow shook her head in protest. "Uh, but not with books, or at least books from the library." She gave Xander a look.  
  
Giles seemed distracted. He turned the book over in his hand. "The mark is gone."  
  
Xander threw up his hands. "Saints be praised!"  
  
Willow and Oz glanced at Harry who was watching the exchange in fascination. "Uh, th-they're always like that," Willow said meekly, and apologetically, trying to explain their behavior unsuccessfully.  
  
Cordelia Chase nodded her head. "Yeah. God, can I ever find a boy friend who isn't both annoying and disgusting?" She looked at Harry and smiled her most charming smile. "Hey, Harry, do you have a girl friend?"  
  
Harry glanced at Willow, again thinking about the red hair...which led to thoughts of MJ. He looked at Cordelia. "No. I don't. I just moved here."  
  
"Well, we're going to the Bronze tonight. Maybe you should join us."  
  
Xander put his arm around Cordelia. "Yeah. Join...us." He emphasized the "us".  
  
That's when the door to the library opened and in walked the most beautiful girl Harry had ever laid eyes on. This girl didn't even have red hair. She was a blonde and her eyes were upon him with curiosity as she entered.  
  
"Hey! It's the Buffster!" Xander exclaimed.  
  
"Hi, guys," she said. She looked at Harry. "You must be Oz's cousin. I'm Buffy Summers." She held out her hand.  
  
Harry took it hesitantly. He couldn't take his eyes off from her. "Uh...hi...Buffy Summers."  
  
Oz and Willow exchanged knowing looks. Willow smiled. Xander and Cordelia exchanged knowing looks as well. Xander didn't smile. Giles just stood there with his book in his hand and the whole thing passed right over his head.  
  
"Harry Osborn," Buffy said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."  
  
Harry swallowed. "Oh, uh, I-I guess we're supposed to go to the Bronx tonight."  
  
"That's Bronze, starry-eyed guy," Xander corrected. "It's the opposite of 'Bronx', although I think it's safe to assume a lot of wild things do happen in both places."  
  
Harry looked at Buffy. "Uh, the Bronze...are you going?"  
  
Buffy found herself wanting to say yes but she knew she couldn't. Not tonight. She and Giles were patrolling tonight and they intended to look for Angelus. She had to deal with him sooner or later. She looked at Harry. She had to let go of Angel...and Harry was kind of cute.  
  
No, she thought. I will not involve this boy into my world of hell.  
  
She frowned. "I'm sorry, Harry. I can't make it tonight."  
  
"Oh." Harry looked at her.  
  
"Hello."  
  
Everyone turned around and Harry froze. His father had just entered the library and he was approaching them as he looked at everyone present. Osborn's eyes took them all in.  
  
Harry did not look at his father. He turned his head.  
  
"Hello," Giles said to Ozbourne as he looked at him curiously. "C-can I help you?"  
  
Osborn smiled wryly. "I'm just here to pick up my son. I just never would have expected him to actually be in a library." He looked at his son, and then he looked at Buffy. For just a split second, something very dangerous flashed in his eyes. Then it was gone and no one noticed the look.  
  
No one except Harry.  
  
Osborn focused on Oz and the red-haired girl beside him.  
  
"Daniel!" He walked over to him and he gave him a hug. "My one and only, all time favorite nephew. How are you, son?"  
  
Oz clapped him on the back, and then he quickly stepped back. He was fully aware that people had just witnessed him hugging his uncle. "I'm good, Uncle Norman." He glanced at Xander. Was that a smirk?  
  
Osborn smiled at Willow. "And is this lovely young lady your girlfriend?"  
  
Oz nodded as he glanced at her. "This is Willow and, yes, she's my girlfriend."  
  
Willow beamed with pride and bounced happily on her feet. "I'm Oz' girlfriend," she repeated dreamily.  
  
Osborn chuckled. "Well, Danny, my boy. At least I'm happy to see that some of the young Osborn's within the family have very good taste."  
  
Oz took that as high praise.  
  
Harry took that as an insult. He glared daggers at Oz.  
  
Oz introduced his uncle to everyone and Osborn seemed to be interested in each of them. He was friendly. He joked with them. He laughed with them, and he managed to cause them all to let down their guard without them even being aware of it.  
  
He happened to see the book in Giles' hand. "Excuse me, Mr. Giles...but that book in your hand. Is that the Ars Revo Orbos Vortaro you've got there? That is one extremely difficult work to find."  
  
Giles looked at him with surprise. "Er, y-yes, it is? You know of this book?"  
  
Osborn smiled. "Know of it? Yes, especially the section on orbs and artifacts, which are a sort of hobby of mine. I do travel quite a bit and in some of my travels, I manage to find my share of ancient treasures." He held out his hand. "May I?"  
  
"Oh, er," Giles began as he handed the book over, "of course. Be my guest."  
  
He began to flip through the book and as he did, his eyes took in the many orbs listed within it's yellowed pages. The book mentioned orbs of magic, great and small, and some orbs were even merely decorations. When he came to one particular orb...he stopped.  
  
"This is strange," he said to himself. He looked thoughtful.  
  
"What's strange, Uncle?" Oz asked him.  
  
Osborn simply smiled and shook himself out of his musings. "Oh, nothing, son. I was just reflecting on one of my finds. Or lack thereof, I should say. I was very close to getting this one here." He opened the book and showed it to Giles.  
  
"Th-that orb?" Giles looked at the orb the man was referring to. "You can't find this orb?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"But this orb is-isn't really that hard to find."  
  
Osborn looked surprised. "It's not?" He paused. "You mean this orb can be obtained?"  
  
"Of-of course, it can. The Orb of Thesulah can be obtained at the Dragon's Cove Magic Shop." That's when he recalled that the last orb had been purchased. He knew because he had tried to go ahead and purchase it but someone had beaten him to it. He had to make a special order. "Oh...I-I'm afraid you'll have to order it if you wish to have one."  
  
"Do you have one?"  
  
"No. I-I don't."  
  
"Giles," Buffy said as she looked at him, "what does this Orb of Methuselah do?"  
  
"That's 'Thesulah,' Buffy...and-and I'm told that they're nothing more than decorative paper weights." He avoided making eye contact with her.  
  
Decorative paper weights, Osborn frowned thoughtfully. He handed the book back to Giles. "Listen...I want all of you to come to my house for dinner tonight." He smiled warmly.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes.  
  
"Oh, hey," Xander said with a grin. "We're the Scoobies and we never turn down a dinner invitation. We love those Scooby Snacks."  
  
Cordelia folded her arms across herself and gave Xander a look. "God, is that all you think about? Food?"  
  
Xander gave her a knowing grin. "Now you know that food isn't all I think about, but food is what either leads to or comes right after...what I really think about."  
  
"Guys! Adults in the room. Come back to earth." Buffy let out a sigh and then she glanced at Giles before she turned to Osborn. "I'm afraid I can't make it, Mr. Osborn. I...have a real ton of homework that I never do...so it's time I really buckle down and do the homework thing."  
  
"Nonsense. You're coming. All of you are and I insist." Osborn looked at Giles. "We'll make it an event. Bring a date. Bring your parents. It'll be my way of making new friends in Sunnydale. Believe me, I could use all the friends I can get."  
  
Giles nodded at Buffy. "I-it's okay, Buffy. I-I suppose your...duties in the library can wait."  
  
"Then we're all agreed?" Osborn looked at them all expectantly.  
  
They nodded in agreement and promised to be there for dinner. Osborn and his son Harry then left the library. The Scoobies were excited about the dinner that evening.  
  
Giles went into his office and Buffy followed him. "Hey, Giles..." She regarded him as he kept his face turned away from her. "What are you trying to hide from me? Is it about that orb? You acted kind of wiggy when I asked you about it."  
  
Giles shook his head. "Er, no. It-it doesn't concern you, Buffy, so-so just forget about it." He glanced at her. "And for the record, I did not, and will not ever act...er, wiggy. How does one act as a hairpiece, I wonder? It-it's really absurd."  
  
"It's an expression. Listen, Giles...about Ms. Calendar..."  
  
Giles let out a weary sigh. "B-Buffy, you don't have to bring her up with me. I-I've already decided there's nothing that can become of us, so--"  
  
"That's a lie and you know it. You're only avoiding her because of me. We both know that." She looked at him sadly. "I-I guess I can't really blame her for what she did. I want to. But...it's not really her fault. And I can't stand to see the hurt in her eyes...or yours. So please. Talk to her. I-I wouldn't want you to be alone." She thought of Angel. "No one should be alone." She grabbed his arm and squeezed it affectionately. "Okay? So, promise me you'll talk to her."  
  
Giles hesitated. "O-okay...Buffy. I-I may do that."  
  
"I hope you do. Besides, don't you need a dinner date?"  
  
Giles thought about that. "I-I suppose I do at that...don't I?"  
  
*********************************************  
  
After Computer Class, Jenny Calendar asked Willow if she had a minute before she left for the next class. Willow hugged her books and said that she did have a minute, but she was worried she was going to be asked to do something that Buffy wouldn't want her to do.  
  
She was wrong. Jenny was asking her to do something. Something secretive. Something sneaky.  
  
"Willow, you're the only one I can trust with this." She handed her an envelope. "Take this."  
  
Willow took it hesitantly. "But, uh, wh-what is it?"  
  
"Just keep it safe." Jenny looked into her eyes. "Please."  
  
"Oh, okay, but...I really can't tell anybody?"  
  
Jenny shook her head.  
  
"Not even Buffy?"  
  
"Especially not Buffy."  
  
Willow hesitated. "Uh, how about Oz? 'Cause if I can at least tell one person, th-then it really isn't a secret and-and I won't feel like I have to lie. 'Cause I-I'm not good at secrets...and-and Buffy's my friend."  
  
Jenny paused. "Willow...this is very important. Just keep it safe."  
  
"O-okay. For how long?"  
  
Jenny tried to smile reassuringly. "Not long."  
  
Willow folded the envelope and shoved it into the pocket of her skirt. "I'll...I'll keep it safe for you."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Willow left the room. Jenny watched her go, and to herself, she said, "If anything happens to me...you're Angel's last hope."  
  
*********************************************  
  
The dinner was a huge hit. The people who attended were Willow and her parents, Buffy and her mom, Xander and his mother, Cordelia and her parents, and Oz and his parents. The only one who didn't show up was Xander's father, who was passed out on the floor at home.  
  
The guests were impressed with the mansion. It seemed to be well kept even though there appeared to be only one servant. His name was simply Jackson and he didn't talk. He simply served. He politely took their coats and hung them in the walk-in closet. He served them drinks in the den and then he went about his business.  
  
Osborn and his son entered the den soon after that and the conversations began. Buffy found herself with Willow, Oz, Harry, Xander, and Cordelia, and across from the room, Osborn was deep in conversation with Mr. Chase, Mr. Osbourne, Ira Rosenberg, Giles, and Jenny Calendar. Mrs. Chase, Mrs. Harris, Mrs. Osbourne, Joyce Summers, and Sheila Rosenberg were talking amongst themselves, admiring a suit of armor. Buffy smiled thoughtfully. If she knew her mom as well as she did, she knew then that her mother was probably talking about where the suit of armor would look the best in her gallery.  
  
They had dinner and everything was fantastic. Willow talked to Oz and told him how impressed she was with his Uncle. Oz, for the most part, didn't say anything much at all. He usually didn't do a lot of talking, especially at dinners like this one, but he was more concerned about something else. He was concerned about his cousin Harry. Harry didn't look happy at all, and when Oz looked at his Uncle, he noticed that every now and then, the man had a twitch near his eye.  
  
Then there was the discussion at the dinner table.  
  
Jenny herself brought it up. "So...I heard that you were interested in an Orb of Thesulah."  
  
"Yes." Osborn sipped his wine, dabbed at his lip with a dinner napkin, and regarded Jenny thoughtfully. "They say that such artifacts hold great power. They say that some are even capable of stealing a man's soul, or restoring it."  
  
Buffy frowned thoughtfully. She looked at Jenny closely. Could that be what the teacher was up to? Was Giles also looking into something that he didn't want to involve her in? Did this Orb of Who-E-Jiggy exist and could it help restore Angel's soul? She caught Giles' eye and gave him a look that said, "You and I are having a very serious talk when we're through here, Mister."  
  
Giles, avoiding eye contact with Buffy, loosened his collar. "Er, uh, Mis- Mr. Osborn..."  
  
"Please. Call me Norman."  
  
"Er, thank you, Norman. How-how can these orbs have such power? Do you believe that it could be so?"  
  
Osborn smiled at him. "Do I believe? Oh, Mr. Giles...Rupert. I very much believe there could be such orbs of power that the earth itself could be shaken to its very core. Imagine one single orb. An orb so small that it could fit into the palm of your hand, but with power thriving inside and with the secret knowledge that you possess...you can make that orb do great things."  
  
Joyce snorted and she almost choked.  
  
Osborn turned to glare at her. "Are you all right, Mrs. Summers?"  
  
"Er..." She glanced at Buffy. She wanted to laugh. "I-I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Osborn. Er, Norman. I don't mean to offend you, but...an orb is just a ball of glass. I'm sure it has no magical value whatsoever."  
  
"A trinket, to be certain," Mr. Chase agreed. "People will pay a hefty price for something that serves no purpose other than to add to the fashion of a housewife's decorating skills."  
  
Mrs. Chase gave him a look.  
  
Jenny smiled. "The Orb of Thesulah does make for a good paper weight," she said.  
  
Osborn looked at her. "You have one?"  
  
Jenny glanced at Giles who was looking at her in surprise.  
  
Buffy frowned. Okay, she thought. Giles knows what the orb is but he wasn't aware that Ms. Calendar got herself one, but why did she get it?  
  
"I do," Jenny answered.  
  
Osborn paused. "Well...Joyce, I am not offended," he said, looking at Buffy's mother. "You have to understand I've traveled a lot and I've seen things I once used to question. Like you yourself are questioning now. The thing that you fail to see is what this town is capable of revealing to you." He held up a hand. "Please, hear me out." He regarded his guests. "This town has great power. There's a strong current of energy that just pours out from the ground and it goes through this town like water through a creek...and yet there are so few who notice it. It's hard to explain. It's like a mystical convergence." He looked at Giles. "I know you can feel it."  
  
Giles looked at him and he began to wonder just who this man was. He certainly seemed to know there was definitely something going on in Sunnydale that didn't fit the status quo of other towns.  
  
"I wonder if we could pre-date many of the magical items of our day and trace them back through time to their very creations. What would we discover? Were these powerful artifacts created here in this mystical convergence? Were they created by demons, or angels?" He paused. Then he shook his head. "It doesn't matter, I suppose, because now most demons are gone. Oh, I'm sure they try to return every now and then, yet most of them are gone. Why? Because they have met their match in man."  
  
Giles stared at him. "Are-are you saying that man is more powerful than de- demon?"  
  
"Of course. After all, we're here, and they're not."  
  
"Yes-yes, that is true. However, to face a demon is...well, in most cases, it is simply suicidal."  
  
Osborn shook his head. "No, it isn't. Man has evolved far greater than the worst demon ever known, and he continues to evolve today. However, there are some men who do evolve faster than others. With an orb of great power, he would be invincible." He suddenly broke into a smile. "Now...who would like some dessert?"  
  
The dinner progressed into dessert and then it was time to leave. Osborn heard that the Scoobies had time to go to the Bronze so he asked his son to go with them. When Harry asked him why, he became insistent. "Look, just go and have a good time. I have an associate dropping by later this evening--"  
  
"Tonight?" Harry inquired. "What associate?"  
  
Osborn looked at his son, eyes glittering with suppressed madness. "Just go," he hissed.  
  
Harry left with the others.  
  
They all left except for Norman Osborn. Osborn dismissed Jackson and then he went to his den. He went behind the bar...and he poured himself a drink, and then another, and then an--  
  
"Drowning in your pathetic misery, are we?" said a voice heavy with sarcasm.  
  
Osborn spun around, but there was no one there. "N-no...I...I'm just a little thirsty." His eyes darted this way and that way, but he could not see anyone; the intruder was never in his sight but was always in his head.  
  
"Then have a little drink, but be ready! He is almost here."  
  
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.  
  
Osborn took a long drink. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He took another look around the den. Then he hurried to answer the door.  
  
Osborn opened the door and there stood the one he had sought out from Willy's Bar. "H-hello," he said, his voice hoarse. "We've been expecting you."  
  
Angelus glared at him. "You know, I'm really not in a good mood right now. The only reason I'm standing here is because I really do want you to invite me inside...so I can rip your heart out through your chest."  
  
Osborn hesitated. "Why would you want to do this to me?"  
  
"I saw who left your house. You had dinner guests. One of them is someone whom I'd really love to kill."  
  
"Well...you will kill her. She is why I asked you to come."  
  
"Is that right?" Angelus looked at him skeptically. "Are you saying that you're going to help me slay the Slayer? What do you get in return?"  
  
Osborn hesitated. "In time...I will tell you."  
  
"When?"  
  
"There are things we must discuss first."  
  
Angelus let out a sigh. "Well...are we discussing them here on the front step, or are you going to invite me in?"  
  
Osborn hesitated. "I...invite you in."  
  
"Thank you." Angelus suddenly grabbed the man by his throat and tossed him back inside. As Osborn crashed onto the floor, Angelus stepped inside and slammed the door shut. "People like you really piss me off." Angelus hauled Osborn up and slapped him hard across the face with the back of his hand. Then for good measure, he slammed the man face first into the wall.  
  
Osborn was bleeding. He was dangerously close to blacking out as Angelus tossed him into the next room.  
  
Angelus walked into the den as Osborn struggled to get up.  
  
"I'm just going to kill you," Angelus told him. "And do you wanna know why I'm going to kill you? Because you can't get me the Slayer. No one can get me the Slayer but me. So I don't need your help." He kicked Osborn in the stomach. "I don't need anything from you. On the other hand, I can entertain myself all night long by making you bleed." He hauled the man up and punched him in the face. Then he picked him up over his shoulders and tossed him over the bar.  
  
There was a crash. Bottles and glasses crashed to the floor.  
  
Then there was silence.  
  
Angelus clapped his hands together and he smiled through his fangs. "They say alcohol and cuts don't go well together. And broken glass can really cause infections. All of that sounds like fun, but I'm going to snap all of your fingers off, and then, I'm going to--" He stopped as he looked behind the bar.  
  
Osborn was gone.  
  
"What the hell?"  
  
Angelus looked around the den but there wasn't anywhere that he could see where Osborn could have escaped to. He went out into the hall. For about fifteen minutes, the angry vampire searched for Osborn. Then he found himself in a huge ball room. He looked around.  
  
"This could take all night," Angelus said to himself as he shook his head in disgust. "The moron probably has a maze of secret passageways to hide in." He turned, intending to leave...and then he froze.  
  
He looked up.  
  
His mouth dropped open in astonishment.  
  
A thing...a demon with the face of a hideous goblin floated above him on some kind of a glider that resembled a mechanical bat. This goblin was green and in its hand, it held a miniature glowing pumpkin.  
  
"Angelus," the demon declared, "you will join my cause...or you will die horribly!"  
  
Angelus looked up at him, his own face the image of his demon. "Who are you?"  
  
"I am the Green Goblin, and I await your answer." He raised the pumpkin. "Join me or die!"  
  
**********************************  
  
TO BE CONTINUED-- 


	2. Part 2

Part 2  
  
"Time is of the essence, Angelus," the Green Goblin declared as he stood on the glider.  
  
Angelus stared in fascination. That damned contraption was hovering in the air with this demon perched on it, but what the hell was that pumpkin for? And what the hell was this thing?  
  
"Do you plan on throwing that thing at me?" Angelus wanted to know. "Because if you do, that will be the last thing you ever do."  
  
The Goblin glared down at him. "Don't be a fool! If you join me now, I can help you get the Slayer. All I want in return is a single orb."  
  
"All I want is to knock you off that thing and break your filthy neck."  
  
The Goblin paused for affect. "An old friend of yours is preparing a Spell of...Restoration."  
  
That got his attention. Angelus glared up at the Green Goblin, but this time, he was glaring because of what he had just heard. If someone was trying to get the Spell of Restoration, then he was in trouble.  
  
"All right," Angelus finally said. "Who has the Spell?"  
  
"Allow me to take care of that for you. What you must do is get me an army and meet me at the Bronze in one hour."  
  
Angelus thought about that. "Why?"  
  
The Green Goblin laughed then.  
  
His laughter froze Angelus where he stood. Even the vampire could hear the madness in those demented cackles.  
  
"Why?" the Green Goblin repeated. "So you can help yourself to the all-you- can-eat buffet. BUT!!" He held up a warning finger. "Wait for me."  
  
Angelus regarded the Goblin. "So...you're going to take care of this Restoration thing...and I'm going to meet you at the Bronze with an army in ONE HOUR? Are you crazy?"  
  
"Exactly! And your point is?"  
  
"What happens if you fail?"  
  
The Green Goblin laughed. "I will never fail!"  
  
"Then let me ask you another question...Why should I?"  
  
The Green Goblin suddenly swooped down, grabbed Angelus by the throat, and carried him up to the ceiling. Angelus struggled to break the Goblin's grip on his throat and he was surprised at his opponents strength. Angelus hauled back a fist and slammed it into the Goblins face.  
  
That was a mistake. It was like punching a brick wall.  
  
That's when Angelus realized that this thing wasn't a demon. It was a man wearing some kind of armor and a mask.  
  
The Green Goblin tossed Angelus and sent the vampire crashing back down to the floor of the ball room. Angelus groaned, but got to his feet without anything broken. The Goblin swooped back down toward him, swinging a fist into his face, sending him flying across the floor.  
  
All the while the Goblin laughed like a maniac.  
  
Angelus leaned against the wall, needing it's support to get up. He looked at the Green Goblin. He wanted to kill him, but it occurred to him he couldn't waste any more time if there really was someone out there with intentions of restoring his soul. This fight was taking more time than he needed.  
  
"All right," he growled. "You've made your point." I'll finish this later, he made a promise to himself. "I'll get you your damn army and meet you at the Bronze...but you damn well better do something about that spell."  
  
The Green Goblin laughed. "Oh, I intend to. Death is such a trivial thing!" He reached into his pouch of tricks and pulled out a seemingly ordinary-looking fruit. "An apple for teacher!" He laughed again.  
  
Angelus frowned. "Teacher?" he asked himself.  
  
Angelus watched in amazement as the Goblin accelerated the glider into three dizzying circles, then disappeared through a doorway, the Goblin's demented laughter following.  
  
Angelus headed out - he had an army to find.  
  
**************************************  
  
Jenny let out a sigh of relief as she managed to translate the spell she needed into English. She had told Giles to go home and that she would meet him there after she took care of this. He wasn't exactly certain what she was up to, but he did have his suspicions. Jenny was sure of that. If all went according to plan, then Angel would get his soul back. However, if something happened to her, then Willow would be the only hope left. Jenny had given her the spell. Unfortunately, Willow was also going to need to translate it.  
  
Jenny began to print out the translated spell as she sat back to wait.  
  
Suddenly, the back wall of the classroom exploded inward. Jenny screamed and she hit the floor as broken glass and debris came flying in. She covered her head as she laid on the floor behind her desk and waited for the shock of the explosion to pass. When it did, she raised her head and cautiously looked over her desk.  
  
A demon from hell glided through the opening it had just made from the explosion. It was perched atop of some kind of glider. As it came gliding into the room, the demon fixed its' glare upon Jenny.  
  
Jenny hesitantly rose to her feet. She stared at the demon in wide eyed wonder. What the hell is this thing?  
  
Then the demon spoke. "Formatia trans sicere educatorum."  
  
Jenny whispered, "'Enter all ye who seek knowledge.'"  
  
"Yes, teacher! And knowledge is what I seek." He pointed at the artifact on her desk. "Give me the orb."  
  
Jenny stared at him. Then she looked at the Orb of Thesulah. Something occurred to her then. At the dinner earlier that evening, there was a man named Norman Osborn whom had showed a great deal of interest in that very orb.  
  
She looked at the Green Goblin. "Mr. Osborn?" This thing wasn't a demon after all but a crazy man in a costume.  
  
The Goblin laughed.  
  
It made her fear for her life.  
  
So she grabbed the orb and she turned to run. As she ran, she didn't see him hurl an object at her. An apple. She did, however, hear the explosion. It destroyed her desk and it sent her sliding down the hallway outside her classroom. The orb slipped through her fingers and rolled away from her. As she stopped sliding, she saw the Green Goblin glide over her.  
  
He was after the orb.  
  
She pushed herself up with her hands and looked. The Goblin simply reached down, scooped up the orb, then spun around to face her.  
  
"Please," she pleaded, "Mr. Osborn...that orb is the only hope an old friend has."  
  
"This orb, Ms. Calendar," the Goblin hissed at her with venom, "is the only hope I have...of destroying this planet."  
  
Jenny stared at him in horror. She suddenly realized that this man was insane. She got to her feet. "What are you going to do?" she wanted to know.  
  
The Green Goblin opened a pouch on his hip. He pulled out four objects and tossed them into the air. The objects hovered like the glider did, but they were smaller and they expanded into what looked like tiny little mechanical bats. Even from where she was standing, Jenny knew the wings on those bats were extremely sharp.  
  
She backed up a step.  
  
"You can run, my dear..." the Green Goblin laughed, "but you won't run far!!"  
  
Jenny turned and she tried to run, but the Goblin was right. The four bats with wingtips of sharp metal caught up to her in no time. She screamed as the objects flew right through her. She fell to the floor, holding herself together as the objects did a u-turn and headed back toward her.  
  
She saw them coming. Tears formed in her eyes. "G-God, Rupert...I-I love you."  
  
Those were her last words.  
  
The Green Goblin fled the scene. He left Jenny where she had fallen. He had an army of the dead to meet and then to lead. **********************************  
  
"So this is the Bronze." Harry looked around and he liked what he saw. The only thing he didn't like to see was a certain redhead by his cousins side. He suddenly shook his head, reminding himself that Willow was not MJ. That was a different place.  
  
"The Bronze is this," Xander responded, assuring Harry that it was so. "Can anything ever be any Bronzier than this?"  
  
Cordelia gave him a look. "'Bronzier'?"  
  
"We hangout here all the time," Willow told Harry, smiling. "It's our hangout, the Bronze is...'cause w-we're always...hanging out here...at the old Bronze." She shrugged helplessly. "It's what we do."  
  
Harry glanced at her. "Do you guys do anything else around here?"  
  
"Uh, well, there's the Ice Cream Bar we usually go to after a night of hanging out at the Bronze. Th-then, there's the cemetery--"  
  
Buffy gave Willow a look. "--which is not a place we hang out at much. I think Willow is still in mourning since we had to bury Fred...her puppy."  
  
Willow frowned. "I-I had a puppy?" She looked at Buffy as if she were losing her mind.  
  
"Denial is an ugly thing," Xander said helpfully. Willow had almost told Harry about some of their secret habits so he had to step in and help. "We have to keep Willow from going there to see Fred." He put an arm on Willow's shoulder. "Will...Fred's gone. It's time to get over it. Move on." He paused. "Besides, there is a new wolfie boy in your life, so--"  
  
Oz gave him a look.  
  
Xander grinned apologetically. "So move on with your life, girlfriend."  
  
Harry looked at Willow. She was pretty, but he was beginning to think she was a bit of an airhead.  
  
Xander clapped his hands together. "Hey! Why don't we all get on the floor and shake our groove thingies!"  
  
A troubled look crossed Oz' face. "I don't think that's gonna happen, Xander. There's gonna be a whole lot of shaking going on, but it won't have anything to do with dancing."  
  
Buffy frowned. She turned around and saw what was troubling Oz. Angelus had just entered the Bronze and behind him, a following of vampires entered. As they came in, they spread out and began to block exits and surround the pool table. Angelus walked over to Buffy and smiled at her.  
  
"Hi, lover," he greeted.  
  
Buffy punched him in the face.  
  
Angelus took the blow, and then he shook his head. "Damn, girlfriend," he said sarcastically, "I love it when you say 'Hello'." He looked at the others. "Well, the gang's all here. Oh, wait! Giles isn't here. Now why is that? Can't he get it together on the dance floor with one of you sweet things?" He leered at Buffy, Cordelia, and Willow. Then he laughed.  
  
"You'd better leave," Xander threatened angrily, "or you're going to find out just what the inside of a Dustbuster feels like."  
  
Angelus looked at him. "You know...that was actually a good one, little boy, but it's too bad because the only thing that's going to get killed in here is...the food." He changed into his game face. "And guess what? You're all on the menu." He smiled.  
  
Buffy took up a fighting stance. "Angel...please, leave."  
  
Angelus pulled a small object from his pocket. It looked like a miniature pumpkin. He pushed the stem in and it gave off a triple beep. He smiled. "Duck."  
  
Buffy and the Scoobies ducked.  
  
Angelus tossed the object at the far wall and as it struck, it exploded. Dust and debris rained down onto the floor and several patrons scurried to get out of harm's way. When the dust cleared, the wall had a huge gaping hole in it...and something was coming through that hole.  
  
Every one stared in horror.  
  
There was a green demon riding slowly in on top of a huge bat. The demon looked down at the vampires and the humans and he laughed.  
  
"I think I speak for everyone present when I say..." Xander swallowed a lump in his throat nervously, "what the hell is that?"  
  
"That's the Green Goblin," Angelus told him. "He's the new kid on the block."  
  
"What does he want?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Why don't you ask him?"  
  
So Buffy did, and the Green Goblin cackled, then raised his hand, pointing a small cylinder-like object at the Scoobies. "I've come for a girl to be my date. Where is she?"  
  
Buffy scowled at him. "Uh, hello, lame-brain, but in case it hasn't registered in your little mind, the Bronze happens to be full of girls. Could you be a little bit more specific and tell me which girl you're after?"  
  
The Goblin squeezed the cylinder and a net shot out. Before anyone could intervene, it completely wrapped itself around Willow. She cried out as the net squeezed tightly around her.  
  
"This one," the Goblin said as, before anyone could react, the cylinder began to reel Willow up from the floor, like a hooked trout.  
  
"Buffy!" Willow cried out.  
  
Buffy ran forward and she leaped onto a table as Willow was being raised higher toward the Goblin. The Goblin had attached the device onto his glider securely and soon Willow was hanging in the net directly below the glider.  
  
"Let her go!" Buffy shouted as she stood on the table.  
  
"Ta-ta, Slayer!" The Green Goblin laughed. "Have fun!" The glider began to turn.  
  
Buffy prepared to leap at him...but Angelus tackled her and they crashed to the floor. That was good enough for the other vampires. They began to attack at random. As the fighting within the Bronze heated up, the Green Goblin took his prize high into the skies of Sunnydale. His laughter mixed with the sounds of Willow's screams.  
  
Willow was in a terrible predicament. She was wrapped up tightly inside a net, high above Sunnydale. The only thing that prevented her from falling to her death was a single thin cord, tied to a madman's flying machine. She was scared to death, and yet she couldn't help but notice how people really did look like ants from way up high. There was no escape, so she did the only possible thing that she could do.  
  
She screamed.  
  
The Green Goblin flew onward, cackling in time to the music of Willow's screams. "Sing, my beloved!" he shouted. "Sing!"  
  
Willow sang...or rather screamed for all she was worth.  
  
The glider rocked, dipped, and swooped, and the motion caused Willow a great deal of nauseau. She closed her eyes tightly, fighting off the need to throw up, and prayed to anyone who would listen for this nightmare ride to end.  
  
But it didn't end.  
  
At least not right a way.  
  
Eventually, Willow gathered up enough courage to open her eyes, to see that the glider was descending toward a huge hilltop mansion, a strangely familiar mansion. Every time she placed where she had seen it before, the glider would jerk in a new direction, and fresh terror would chase all coherent thought from her head.  
  
The Goblin flew his prize through a window and down a circular staircase into a secret room-his laboratory. Along the far wall were large cells, one of which the Goblin entered. He kicked at the cylinder attached to his glider, releasing Willow from her imprisonment, to fall unceremoniously to the hard stone floor. As Willow struggled to her feet, the Goblin leapt from his glider, toward the now cowering Willow.  
  
"N-no..." Willow pleaded hoarsely as she backed away, colliding with the back wall of the cell. There wasn't anywhere for her to run away to.  
  
The Goblin snatched Willow up by her throat and dangled her above the floor as he used his other hand to slip a shackle upon her right wrist. The shackle was attached to the wall by a short length of chain. When the Goblin was sure she was secure, he dropped her, laughed and left the cell, slamming the door. He locked it behind him.  
  
Willow stared at him in horror. The Goblin examined her through the bars as he took out the orb from his pouch.  
  
"Hey...that's Ms. Calendar's orb! How did you get it?" Willow inadvertently gasped as she saw the Orb the Goblin pulled from his pouch.  
  
The Goblin cackled. "And so it is my dear, but the Orb of Thuselah now belongs to me - I made the previous owner an offer she couldn't live through!"  
  
Willow swallowed in terror and grief. She looked at the monster before her, eyes brimming with tears and whispered, "Wh-what are you?"  
  
"I am the Green Goblin!"  
  
She frowned in thought. "S-sounds like a comic book v-villain to me."  
  
The Goblin glared at Willow. "Watch your tongue, little girl - or I might have you sample one of my tasty treats," he cackled as he reached into his bag, removing a glowing, pumpkin-shaped object. "Some of my treats have been known to twist people into horrible abominations." The Goblin lowered his voice and darted toward Willow as he continued, "Now I know that as pretty as you are, you wouldn't want me to do that, would you?"  
  
Willow backed against the wall and shook her head fearfully. She clamped her mouth shut and decided not to say anything. She wanted to know what he intended to do with her, but was afraid to ask.  
  
The Goblin left her then. She walked as close to the bars as the chain would allow, and she was able to observe what the Goblin was up to. In the center of the room, there was some kind of strange device. It was of chrome steel, and there were a lot of dark irredescent colers, but mostly green. Willow thought she saw slots in the machine that formed a cirle around another slot, and only two of those slots were empty. The other slots each held an orb of some kind.  
  
Willow saw the Golin's back as he stood in front of the machine. Now she couldn't see what he was doing, but she had an idea that he was placing the Orb of Thusaleh in the slot to complete the circle. The Goblin cackled with glee as he pulled a lever and the machine hummed to life. The twelve orbs glowed brightly and beams of energy shot out from them to strike at the orb in the center. She hadn't noticed before, but now Willow realized that the Green Goblin must have placed a different orb when she couldn't see what he was doing.  
  
She saw that orb now. It was glowing just as bright as the twelve orbs around it. As she watched in fascination, the orb even became brighter. Finally, the machine stopped humming, and the orbs returned to normal. The Green Goblin snatched up the newly created orb from in the center of the twelve and he raised it up, laughing in triumph. "The Orb of Herboverda is now MINE!!" he screamed as he held it aloft. "At last, its' power is MINE!" Suddenly he stopped and he turned to look directly at Willow. "But first," he said in a friendly tone, "I simply must do something about my Heir."  
  
Willow looked at him in confusion as the Goblin's mad laughter echoed off the walls in her cell.  
  
___________________  
  
Angelus grabbed Buffy and slammed her up against a beam. All around them, people were either fighting for their lives or becoming Happy Meals. Or Un- Happy Meals, depending on whether one was a vampire or a lunch entree. The Scoobies, for the most part, were holding their own. Oz had decided to use a pool stick as a weapon and he had made two quick kills when the fighting had begun.  
  
Harry had gone into hiding and avoided the demons in the Bronze, but he was jealous as his eyes took in Oz. His cousin was good at fighting for his life. What added to his strength, however, was his determination to find Willow. That was what drove Oz in his fight at the Bronze.  
  
Harry looked over at Buffy and he found himself amazed at the girls uncanny agility and strength. No normal girl could take blows like that and keep coming back for more, plus give as well as she got.  
  
Then there were Xander and Cordelia. The two seemed to take a stance back to back and Xander was good in spite of not having the strength that Buffy seemed to have. And yet, Xander held his ground, as did Cordelia.  
  
Who were these people? And these monsters with the demonic faces? What the hell was going on in this town? Harry remained hidden, observing and storing in his mind everything he saw, including the fight between Buffy and her "boyfriend".  
  
Angelus decided that enough was enough. Besides, he was damned curious as to what the Green Goblin wanted with Willow Rosenberg. Hell, he knew what curiosity did to the cat, but he was not cat, and he was alreay dead. He shoved Buffy aside, grabbed a girl by the throat and used her as a shield.  
  
"Dinner time is over, people!" he shouted.  
  
The surviving vamps looked disappointed, but none dared question Angelus. They began to back out of the Bronze, as Angelus dragged the girl with him to the doorway.  
  
"Leaving so soon?" Buffy demanded. "What? There's no time for one last dance?"  
  
Angelus laughed at her. "Oh, we'll dance again, lover. Alas, parting is such sweet sorrow. Touche' - for now."  
  
"Who the hell was your friend, Angel? And why did he take Willow?"  
  
"He's not my friend." He laughed. "And, damn it, he only beat me to what I should have done awhile ago." He threw the girl at Buffy. "Later, sweets."  
  
Then he was gone.  
  
Buffy ran out after him, but lost sight of him. When she came back, Xander and Cordelia looked at her with concern.  
  
"Harry's gone," Cordelia told her.  
  
Xander looked grim. "And so is Oz."  
  
"My-my God, Buffy..."  
  
They turned around and saw that Giles had entered. He looked awful, but in spite of that, he was looking around at the results of the chaos.  
  
"Giles?" Buffy looked at the librarian with growing concern.  
  
Giles finally stopped and then he slumped against a beam to the floor. He put his head in his hands and sobbed. Buffy, Cordelia, and Xander stared at him, perplexed by this sudden turn of events. Willow had been kidnapped by a demon, Harry and Oz were both missing, and now Giles was falling apart.  
  
Buffy approached him slowly. "Giles...what is it? What's wrong?"  
  
Giles' body shook with sobs. He couldn't seem to pull himself together, but when he managed to finally bring himself to talk, it was in a hoarse whisper.  
  
Buffy looked at him. "What? Giles, I--"  
  
"Jenny's DEAD!" Giles screamed.  
  
Xander's mouth dropped open. Cordelia put her hands to her mouth. Buffy just stared.  
  
"Wh-what?" she asked, praying against hope that she had heard wrong. "Giles...Ms. Calendar is--"  
  
"DEAD!" Giles cried again. "She-she was torn apart by-by something sharp...The po-police are at the sch-school..." He could say no more. He buried his face in his hands and cried.  
  
Buffy went to him and put her arms around him. She began to cry, too. "Giles...Oh, Giles, I'm so sorry."  
  
Xander and Cordelia just stood there and watched. Then they looked at each other. They both were feeling numb. Like this wasn't really happening - no...this could NOT be happening!  
  
Xander swallowed hard. "How...how did this happen?" he asked quietly.  
  
Buffy glanced up at him. Then she tried to remove Giles' hands from his face. "Giles...Giles, please look at me. Talk to us. What-what happened? Was it Angel? Did he--?"  
  
Giles shook his head. "It-it wasn't Angel," he said softly, a far away look on his face. "The-there was a demon...a flying de-demon. It-it swooped down from the skies and...and it made a-a hole in the wall..." He swallowed. "It killed Jenny...Th-this green flying de-demon...killed my Jenny." He looked at Buffy as if looking at her for help.  
  
Buffy thought of her best friend. "Oh, God, Giles...That flying demon just took Willow."  
  
____________________  
  
Angelus made his way back to the mansion. He wanted to know what the Green Goblin intended to do to Willow.  
  
Someone else wanted to know, too.  
  
Oz watched from the darkness as Angelus walked to the front door of the mansion and entered. Oz frowned. How could Angelus enter...unless someone living there was stupid or crazy enough to invite Death itself in? A look of anger flashed across Oz's face. A vampire-allowed into his uncle's home? Why? And did that mean Willow was here? Grimly detemined to find out, Oz headed toward the mansion.  
  
Behind Oz, in the shadows, hidden, Harry continued to observe the night's events. _______  
  
The Green Goblin left her alone as Willow sat on the floor in her cell. She was scared. She didn't know what he intended to do with her, but she was sure it wasn't something good. She was able to think about all of the things the demon had said to her while she was in her cell, and one thing stuck clearly in her mind.  
  
"I made the previous owner an offer she couldn't live through!"  
  
That's what he had said.  
  
Now that Willow was able to think about it, she was able to work it out in her mind and reach the only conclusion that fit. Jenny Calendar was dead. The Green Goblin had found her, killed her, and taken the Orb of Theselah for his own purposes. When that sank fully in, Willow buried her face in her hands and wept bitterly. She cried for a while until she could cry no more.  
  
Finally, she wiped at her eyes and looked out of her cell. She saw the machine with the orbs in their slots, and she recognized the Orb of Theselah. She stared at it. She was determined to get it back. She didn't know how, she only knew that she had to. She pulled out the envelope from her pocket and looked at it. It was the one Ms. Calendar had given to her.  
  
"I-it's up to me, now," she said softly as she looked at the envelope. She wiped at her eyes, "b-but what do I do?"  
  
**********************************  
  
TO BE CONTINUED-- 


	3. Part 3

Part 3  
  
Oz walked into the house and he paused in the hallway, listening for sounds of life in the quiet mansion. One thing was for certain, he knew Willow was there somewhere. He could smell her fear, and her sorrow. Why was she taken here against her will? Who was this Green Goblin and why was Angelus helping him?  
  
He intended to get answers, and he knew where to get them. He walked down the hallway with determination as he heard someone moving around in his Uncle's den. He went in without knocking, and there was Norman Osborn, sitting at his desk, going through documents like a kid goes through candy on Halloween.  
  
"Uncle Norman?" Oz said, trying to get the man's attention.  
  
Osborn looked up. "Hmm?" He recognized his nephew immediately with relief. "Oh, Daniel!" He waved him in excitedly. "Please, come in, come in! Sit down, won't you, my boy?"  
  
Oz stepped into the room, but he didn't sit down. "Where's Willow?" he asked, getting right to the purpose of his visit.  
  
"What?" Osborn frowned, puzzled. "Willow? You mean that cute redheaded girl you're dating?" He smiled. "She's a nice girl, isn't she? Danny, listen to me, I really need to talk to you about something important." He sat back in his chair and looked at Oz with a thoughtful expression.  
  
Oz frowned, having noticed that he didn't get an answer to his question. "Uncle Norman," he tried again, "where is Willow?"  
  
Osborn completely ignored the question. "I need you, Danny. The family name has to be carried on, and I want you to take my son's place." He shook his head sadly. "Oh, he's a good kid, and all, but he just doesn't know anything about running a business. He knows nothing about Osborn Industries and has shown absolutely no interest in it whatsoever, and that's my problem, son. If something happens to me, a bunch of lawyers will suck every asset my company has and there'll be nothing left of what I had worked so hard to create. So if you can take the reigns after I'm gone, I'll be able to feel better about my choices. I can teach you everything you need to know and I'm sure you'll do just fine."  
  
"Look, this is all very interesting, Uncle Norman, but it doesn't tell me where I can find Willow."  
  
His uncle smiled at him. "Oh, the lovely girl, yes." He nodded his head. "Yes, she's important, too. Danny, you know how to pick them, don't you? She's really a sweet, sweet young lady, and I'm sure at one time, she might have made you really happy, but...well, I have to do what's best for me and my legacy." He reached into the desk drawer and pulled out a gun. He leveled it at Oz. "Sacrifices have to be made and certain changes are necessary."  
  
Oz stared at the gun. "Uncle, wait! What are you doing?" He backed up toward the door.  
  
"I'm sorry, Danny. I have to do this. He told me to, and besides, you'll understand later." He fired the gun.  
  
Oz was struck in the chest by a tranquilizer. As he hit the floor and laid on his back, he looked up and saw Angelus standing above him. Then, he blacked out.  
  
Angelus looked at Oz and watched him close his eyes. Then, he turned to look at Osborn. "Where's your boss?"  
  
Osborn shrugged, distracted. "Oh, out taking care of what needs doing, I suppose."  
  
"Would he really object if I made meals out of you and Oz here?"  
  
"I think he would." Osborn paused. "I could order something in for you, if you like. I'm sure they deliver out here."  
  
Angelus paused in thought. "Order chinese. I'm in the mood for something oriental." He reached down, picked up Oz, and carried him down to the Green Goblin's laboratory.  
  
Willow saw him coming from her cell and she was shocked when she saw Oz being carried over Angelus' shoulder. She hugged the wall as she watched the vampire open the cell next to hers and unceremoniously dumped her boyfriend inside. He closed it, locked it, and then he just couldn't help himself. He stood outside Willow's cell and leered at her.  
  
Willow hugged her knees to herself as she sat back against the wall, looking up at him with frightened eyes.  
  
"You know, I can't wait to see what the Goblin has planned for you, Willow," Angelus said as he regarded her. "I don't know why he wants Oz. I mean, it's not a full moon tonight, so it's not like he's going to put you into the same cell together. That would be interesting to watch though, wouldn't it? You and Oz, alone in the same cell, a full moon on the rise." He laughed. "I guess we all know what we'd find in that cell by morning." He shook his head. "Too bad it's not what he has in mind."  
  
"An-Angel, please," Willow said meekly, "pl-please, I know you-you're in there. Help us."  
  
Angelus glared at her. "How dare you think I have some measure of humanity left in me? Help you? I want to kill you myself. You, and all the damn Scoobies. I want to drain you dry, sweetheart, so don't be stupid enough to ask for my help." He paused. "Look on the bright side. When you're gone, I'll get the rest of your pals and send them to you, but because you've had the friggin' audicity to ask for my help, I'm going to kill Buffy, Cordelia, and Xander very slowly. I'll make Giles watch before I kill him." He smiled. "Are you happy now?"  
  
Willow began to cry again.  
  
Angelus began to leave the lab, laughing. However, his departure was interrupted by the arrival of the Green Goblin. The Goblin flew in over the vampire's head on his glider, gripping the Orb of Herboverda in his hand. He cackled with manic glee as he circled above, until finally, he glided down and hovered beside the two cells that held his prisoners.  
  
Oz was just coming to and he sat up slowly. When he was able to catch his bearings, he looked out at the Green Goblin and Angelus. Then he slowly rose to his feet. He approached the bars carefully. "Where's Willow?" he asked, not really caring what they did to him.  
  
"Your dear Willow is your neighbor," the Goblin told him. "Say hello, and maybe you can borrow a cup of sugar."  
  
Oz came up to the bars, and he was able to see into the cell next to him, at least part way. He couldn't see anyone. "Willow?" he inquired as he cast suspicious glances toward Angelus and the Green Goblin.  
  
"I'm-I'm here, Oz!" Willow exclaimed, glad to hear his voice. She rose on hesitant feet and went as far as the chain would let her, but she couldn't reach the bars. At least she could see his hand waving from the other side.  
  
"Can you come any further?" he asked her.  
  
"Uh, no-no. I'm chained to the wall."  
  
"Are you hurt?"  
  
She shook her head, even though he couldn't see her. "No. I'm okay." She swallowed. "Oz, he-he killed Ms. Calendar!"  
  
Oz closed his eyes and gritted his teeth together. "I'm sorry, Willow."  
  
She absently wiped at her eyes. "Me, too, Oz."  
  
The Green Goblin cackled.  
  
Angelus glared at him. "You know, why did you have to go and kill her? I always wanted to do the teacher myself," he growled menacingly. "Why am I here? I'm going to end up with scraps."  
  
"You will be rewarded well. As for teacher, I got her myself!" the Goblin exclaimed. Then he pointed at Oz. "And you, Oz, will soon kill your beloved, proving yourself worthy to be my Heir!"  
  
Oz stared at him. Then, the words struck him. "You want me to kill..." He couldn't bring himself to say it, but he shook his head. "I won't kill anyone. You've got the wrong guy for that."  
  
"Oh, I think we've got the right one." He raised the orb and a beam lanced out, striking Oz full in the chest.  
  
Oz fell back against the wall and then he fell onto the floor. He groaned as an odd sensation came over him. He looked up from the floor and scowled. "What-what did you do?"  
  
Without another word, the Goblin leveled the orb again, and another beam lanced out. This beam struck Willow and she cried out as she fell to the floor.  
  
"Willow!" Oz called out to her in concern, struggling to rise to his feet.  
  
Willow lay on the floor on her back in her cell and tried to breathe. Soon, she was gasping and then she rolled over and leaned herself against the wall. She looked at her hands and couldn't make them stop shaking. Then, she looked up fearfully at the Green Goblin.  
  
"Willow!" Oz called again. "Please, talk to me."  
  
She took a deep breath. "I'm-I'm okay, Oz." She looked at her hands. "I- I think."  
  
"What did you do to us?" Oz demanded from their enemy.  
  
The Green Goblin paused. "I've connected you to her so that you can trace her, no matter where she runs to."  
  
Oz stared at him. "What?" He was trying to comprehend what he was being told.  
  
The Goblin glided closer to Willow's cell and he unlocked it. Then he tossed the key to her shackle on her wrist and it landed on the floor beside her. She stared at it.  
  
"Free yourself, girl, then run." The Green Goblin laughed.  
  
"R-run?"  
  
"You have thirty minutes to run for your life, because when thirty minutes is past, Oz will be released, and he will come after you to kill you."  
  
Willow couldn't believe it. "No! Oz-Oz wouldn't--"  
  
"The wolf would, and the wolf will."  
  
"There's no full moon!" Oz protested. "It's-it's not gonna happen. I can't become the wolf when-when there's no full moon." In spite of saying that, he sat back against the wall and couldn't deny that something was happening to him. He could feel it and it scared him.  
  
The Goblin cackled. "And yet you can feel the changes happening already, can't you, my Heir?" He seemed to know what the boy was going through. "You will be a wolf soon, and you will hunt down your girlfriend. In this way, you will prove your worth to me." He looked at Willow. "If you value your life, dear, you will be gone by the time I return! If you can run fast, you might even make it to safety!" He spun his glider around and raced off, cackling madly.  
  
Angelus shook his head and laughed. "Well, I'll be damned. This I'll have to see."  
  
Oz glared up at him. "Don't you touch her."  
  
"Oh, I won't. I'm just going to watch you touch her...and rip her to pieces."  
  
Oz could feel the changes happening already. "Willow...leave, now!"  
  
"Oz, I-I can't leave you," Willow cried.  
  
"Please! Go!"  
  
Willow picked up the key, unlocked the shackle from her wrist, and hesitantly came out of the cell. She glanced at Angelus, fearful that he would grab her, but he remained still and watchful. She looked into the next cell at Oz.  
  
He sat on the floor and looked at her. "Please, Willow, I can't stop this."  
  
"Oz, y-you wouldn't hurt me," she said softly. "I know you wouldn't."  
  
He nodded his head sadly. "I know. We both know that I wouldn't, but I'm not near you when I'm the wolf. Willow, I can't control the wolf. You have to run."  
  
Willow looked into his eyes. "I'll-I'll get Buffy."  
  
Oz gazed at her. "Yeah, she'll know what to do."  
  
Willow looked at Angelus one last time, and then she turned and ran.  
  
Angelus would have watched her go, but he had his eyes on Oz. He wanted to see the change happening before his eyes. He regarded Oz thoughtfully. "You know she doesn't have a prayer." He chuckled. "We're miles away from town. Hell, it took you an hour to get here following me."  
  
Oz looked at him.  
  
"Yeah, I knew you were following." Angelus smirked. "Willow won't make it back to town. You'll get to her first."  
  
Oz decided to remain quiet, because deep down inside, he knew that Angelus was right. When he became the wolf, he was going to hunt Willow down and kill her, and there wasn't a damned thing he could do about it. _______  
  
Willow didn't leave the house.  
  
She wanted to, but not without Oz, and besides, she has something she needed to do. It was the only thing that might save them, because deep down inside, she knew she wouldn't make it back to town in time anyway. So, she sniffed, if she was going to go, she was going to go fighting. Sort of.  
  
It was a big house, and she was hoping to find a place to work a miracle. She found the dining room and took as many candles as she could carry. She found a jar with colored stones in them on the mantle and she took that with her. She raced up the stairs and she found a room on the top floor that seemed perfect for her needs.  
  
It was empty. The walls were mirrors, and a huge glass door opened out onto a balcony. Willow left the door closed. She quickly lit up the candles around her, placed the stones where they needed to be and then she set the Orb of Thesulah down before her. She had taken it when Angelus wasn't looking as she had escaped from the basement. She took the envelope out of her pocket, opened it up, and she began to look at the words on the pages Ms. Calendar had given to her.  
  
The spell was in a language Willow didn't recognize, but the last few pages was a translation. She began to read it outloud. ________  
  
Giles sat in despair at the table in the library as Buffy placed a cup of tea before him. He automatically thanked her, and then he went back to staring at the surface of the table as if he were searching for the meaning of life. Cordelia and Xander sat at the table, and they watched with concern. The grief was there for them just as it was for Giles. Each one of them felt Jenny Calendar's loss. Hard.  
  
"How-how could this have happened?" Giles finally managed to croak.  
  
"It would help if we knew why the green demon wanted the orb to begin with," Buffy said as she tried to figure it out in her mind. "I really don't know anything about orbs, Giles. That's your department. How powerful is this orb?"  
  
Giles looked at her. "Buffy, I-I was looking into an orb that-that might have the power to restore Angel's soul."  
  
She looked at him. "Is this for real?"  
  
"Y-yes. Apparently, Jenny..." he closed his eyes, and then he took a deep breath to continue, "she must have had the sa-same idea. This demon killed her and-and took the Orb of Thesulah from her."  
  
Buffy looked at him gratefully. "Giles...I'm sorry. I--"  
  
"It's al-alright, Buffy. I knew how much it would mean to you if Angel could be saved." He swallowed. "Now, it-it seems that it was all in vain. Not only is Angel lost to us now, but-but so is Jenny."  
  
She put a hand on his shoulder. "We can do something about what was done. We can avenge them."  
  
Xander nodded eagerly and raised a fist. "Sign me up for some of that ass kicking."  
  
"Does this demon even know what the orb does?" Cordelia asked. "I mean, who's soul is he going to restore? Or is it for some other purpose?"  
  
They all looked at her.  
  
Giles thought about it. "I-I can think of a number of reasons why he would want an orb. The power it yields could..." he suddenly stopped.  
  
Buffy, Xander, and Cordelia looked at him.  
  
"What is it, Giles?" Buffy asked. "You've got that 'whoops, there it is' look, so give."  
  
"Norman Osborn," Giles said softly. He looked at Buffy. "He-he asked a lot of-of questions about orbs at dinner, didn't he? Why, Buffy? Why is Osborn obsessed with orbs?"  
  
Xander let out a weary sigh. "Oh, great. You think Oz' Uncle has something to do with this demon who killed..." he stopped himself. He was about to say Ms. Calandar.  
  
Giles looked at him. "I-I don't know, but he may have answers." He rose to his feet. "We should go see him."  
  
"Have no fear! For all of your questions will be laid to rest here and now!"  
  
They all turned to find the green demon hovering above the floor at the entrance of the library. He held the orb in his hands and he laughed.  
  
"What the hell kind of demon are you?!" Giles demanded as he took a few angry paces forward. Buffy grabbed his arm and held him back.  
  
"I am the Green Goblin, and I am here to end life as we know it."  
  
Buffy turned to face him. "Oh? And how do you propose to do that? By flying around on your bat thingie, and making an ass of yourself?"  
  
The Goblin glided further into the library. "No," he said casually. Then he turned to face Buffy, Giles, Xander, and Cordelia. He showed them the orb. "I intend to first kill you. Then with this orb I hold before you...I intend to open the Hellmouth and seal the fate of the entire world."  
  
Buffy and the others stared at him.  
  
The Green Goblin laughed.  
  
_____________________________  
  
Time seemed to stretch like taffy for Oz as he lay on the floor, panting. This was wrong. When he usually underwent his change into the wolf, it was nothing like this. He could feel every change, but amplified to a new level. His hearing, his sense of smell, the agony of his bones and muscles tearing, shattering and reforming into new arrangements- he could feel every second of it. Usually, he blanked out and the wolf took over; but this time, he not only felt the changes, he was also aware of the wolf inside him, could feel it breaking free.  
  
That was the bottom line. He was AWARE.  
  
As the wolf took full control of his body, Oz took a backseat in his mind- still able to feel, see, smell, hear and even taste his surroundings, to a sharpness and level of detail he never even thought possible- but unable to control even one muscle of his own body. The wolf was in complete control now; all he could do was watch- he couldn't stop the wolf. Suddenly it dawned on him- he was going to watch the wolf kill his beloved Willow. In his mind, he screamed; the wolf didn't hear him.  
  
No one did.  
  
Angelus watched the entire transformation with fascination. The wolf turned and fixed an angry glare at him, and the vampire laughed. "Well, I suppose the thirty minutes are up." He opened the cage and stepped back.  
  
The wolf moved warily out of the cell, looking suspiciously at Angelus. Inside the wolf's head, Oz screamed for the wolf to attack, but the wolf couldn't- or wouldn't- hear his pleas. The wolf sensed that Angelus was a fellow creature of darkness; therefore, he made no move to attack. Another reason it didn't attack was because the wolf picked up another scent, one it wanted to hunt with every iota of its blood lust. The wolf snarled at Angelus as it lept past him and charged out of the laboratory.  
  
Angelus laughed.  
  
The vampire was about to follow, when suddenly, everything began to spin around him. He placed his hands onto the wall to steady himself as he felt pain going through him. The pain abruptly ceased, and realization hit him full force.  
  
Angelus' face changed as his rage took over. "That little bitch!" he hissed. "She's trying to restore my soul!"  
  
He quickly headed out of the lab. If the wolf didn't get Willow, then he certainly would.  
  
Meanwhile, on the third floor above Angelus, Willow's head tilted back as the words of the spell flowed out of her in another language. The pages that Jenny Calendar had given her had fallen from her hands a while ago as the magic within her became alive.  
  
"Nici mort nici al flinctei!" Willow cried out. "Te invoc, spirit al trecerii!" The power flowed through her, filling her. "Reda trupului ce sepera omul de animal Cu ajurorul acestui magic glob de cristal!" ______  
  
"Who wants to die first?" the Green Goblin asked as he looked at Xander, Cordelia, Buffy, and Giles. "What? No volunteers? I have to choose?"  
  
"I've got a better idea," Buffy said as she took a few steps closer toward him. "Why don't you get off that thing and face me like...well, a man?"  
  
The Goblin fixed his gaze upon her. "Oh, goodie! There's my first volunteer!"  
  
Before anyone could do anything, he raised the orb and a beam shot out from it. The beam struck Buffy full in the chest and carried her over the counter. She crashed through the door, tearing it from its hinges, and disappeared from view. Expecting that to be the end of her, the Green Goblin cackled with delight and turned to face the remaining three.  
  
"If-if either of you have any suggestions..." Giles trailed off, hoping that someone would fill in the rest.  
  
Xander swallowed nervously. "I have one."  
  
"And-and that is?"  
  
"RUN!"  
  
The three of them split up just as the Golin soared toward them on his glider. Giles ran up to the stacks, Cordelia right behind him, and Xander intended to go the other way to meet them in the stacks but he never made it. The Green Goblin swooshed down, grabbed him with one hand and lifted him up from the floor. Without further ado, the Goblin slammed Xander hard into the ceiling. Then he dropped him down, watching as the boy landed hard on the table below.  
  
Xander lay still on the table, having lost all consciousness.  
  
The Green Goblin laughed as he pulled out a pumkin grenade. He fixed his gaze toward the stacks. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."  
  
Suddenly, something landed hard on his back and almost unbalanced him enough to fall. The glider teetered and he tried to see what had happened.  
  
"Wha--?" he began.  
  
Buffy was on his back and she was trying to pull off his helmit. "C'mon, Gobby! Let's see who you are. I've got a strong desire to kiss your face-- " she tried to pull the helmit free, but it was difficult. "--with my fist!"  
  
The two combatants struggled upon the glider, causing it to lurch and sway erraticly in the air.  
  
"Get off me, you wretched girl!" the Goblin demanded. He raised the orb with his outstretched hand.  
  
Buffy held onto the Goblin's head, and spun her feet out. Her right foot kicked the orb and sent it flying out of the Goblin's grasp.  
  
"NO!!" The Green Goblin screamed and tried desperately to see where the orb had fallen.  
  
That was enough for Buffy. She used her weight to knock them both of balance, dumping them hard to the floor. The Goblin, in spite of his armor, got the wind knocked out of him. Buffy rolled with her fall and was back on her feet in no time. Within seconds, she was on him again, trying to get his mask off.  
  
The Goblin was off balance, at first, but he finally got to his feet. Angrily, he grabbed Buffy by the throat and slammed her against the wall. "Do you think you could possibly defeat me, fool girl?" he exclaimed. "I have fought foes far more formidable than you! You are nothing but a flea!"  
  
"Can a flea do this?" She kicked his chest with both feet and knocked him from her.  
  
He let her go and fell back a step. Buffy spun around and kicked him again. It was all she could do. She wanted to keep him off balance as long as she could, until an idea would come to her. She kept hitting him with her feet, forcing him back, up the stacks and finally back against the wall.  
  
The Goblin held up his hand. "Wait!" he pleaded.  
  
Buffy didn't trust him. "For what?" She heard something behind her.  
  
The Green Goblin turned his face toward her. "For that!!" He laughed in triumph.  
  
The triumph was short-lived as Buffy leaped up as the glider soared at her from behind. It completely passed her and impaled the Green Goblin against the wall. He cried out.  
  
Buffy glared at the Goblin as from behind him, Giles and Cordelia approached. They looked at the Goblin curiously, wondering if it was over. Then Cordelia left them to check on Xander.  
  
The Goblin didn't appear to be moving so Giles approached the trapped villain and reached over to remove the mask. When he did, he gasped in surprise.  
  
"Norman Osborn?" Buffy inquired, equally surprised.  
  
Osborn looked up at them. "Is-is he gone?" The life was fading from his eyes.  
  
Giles looked at him. "Is who gone?"  
  
"The Green Goblin..." he responded softly.  
  
Giles found himself looking into the eyes of a madman, a man who thought he was one person but lived the lives of two. However, the man was dying. "Yes," he finally said, "the Green Goblin is-is gone."  
  
"I'm sorry...for whatever he may have done to you...I'm very sorry." He looked at Buffy. "Tell my son that...that I love him." Then he closed his eyes and died.  
  
Buffy and Giles looked at each other.  
  
"Is it over?" Cordelia asked from the lobby as she helped to support Xander.  
  
Buffy nodded. "Yeah. It's over."  
  
She didn't know how wrong she was. _____  
  
Angelus was startled to find that the wolf didn't make it out of the mansion. As Angelus entered the hallway from the basement, he found the wolf crouching near the front door but he wasn't moving toward it. Even when Angelus opened the door and kept out of the way, the beast still remained where he was. The wolf's snout seemed to pick up a scent, but it didn't lead outside.  
  
Howling, the wolf took off up the stairs. Surprised by this move, Angelus decided to give chase. He was halfway up the stairs when he doubled over in pain and fell prostrate on the stairs.  
  
He looked up and cried out in agony as a light appeared in his eyes.  
  
Then the light was gone.  
  
As he slowly got to his feet, from above came a bloodcurdling scream. His head whipped around, face transforming into game face, the face of what he believed was his true self. He broke into a run and lunged up the stairs, three at a time, until he reached the third floor, finding a door torn to shreds, as if it were paper. Now the beast was sitting on top of Willow.  
  
Roaring in anger, Angel tackled the beast and they both tumbled across the floor. As they fought, Willow lay unmoving on the floor as a puddle of blood formed around her, her hand gripping the Orb of Thesulah.  
  
Angel and the wolf crashed through the large window that opened out onto the patio. The wold took a swipe at Angel and ripped into his chest, but the vampire managed to shove the wolf over the balcony. Struggling to stay conscious, Angel watched as the wolf hit the ground below. Then it limped off into the woods and was soon gone from his sight.  
  
Angel forced himself to move, in spite of the pain in his chest. The blow would have killed a human, but he was already dead, and his heart was still not beating. Yet something had changed.  
  
"Willow..."  
  
He hurried back into the room and found Willow lying in a pool of her own blood. The wolf had wounded her badly, but she might have a chance if he could get her to the hospital. He knelt beside her, then he gently scooped her up in his arms.  
  
At the movement, she opened her eyes and looked at him. He still had his vampire face, but when he realized it, he quickly changed to allow her to see his human face.  
  
"Willow, I have to get you to a hospital," he said softly.  
  
She shook her head, blinked slowly. "No..."  
  
He looked at her, startled. "They can help you. You're going to be all right."  
  
She looked at his face, tears in her eyes. "No, Angel...I'm-I'm not gonna make it..." She coughed suddenly and spit up blood. "Oh, no, no, no...please, no..."  
  
Angel looked horrified. "Wait a minute...no, Willow, you can't die! You just restored me. I won't let you die, damn it!" He began to rise to his feet. Everything he had gone through up to this point was far too much for even him to handle. His own mind was reeling from the restoration of his soul.  
  
She grabbed his arm. "No, stop...please..."  
  
He frowned, realizing that the sudden motion was causing her too much stress.  
  
"I'm-I'm gonna die," she said in disbelief.  
  
"Willow, no--" Angel began.  
  
Willow didn't hear him. "Angel...please...help Oz..." she began to cry, "he'll hate himself...if he knows what he did...tell him-tell him I know it wasn't him...oh, please, Angel, this will hurt him so bad..."  
  
Angel didn't know what to say. His mouth worked but nothing came out. He always pictured that something like this would happen to Buffy because of her calling, but not Willow. Willow was innocent. It was his own fault. If he hadn't of lost himself and his soul in one night of passion, this would never have happened.  
  
"...please...please, help Oz..."  
  
Angel swallowed, his throat felt thick with emotion. "I'll help Oz all I can, Willow. I promise."  
  
She cried softly. "A-Angel, don't hate Xander..."  
  
"I swear, I don't hate Xander."  
  
"He-he just doesn't...doesn't like..." Another fit of coughing interrupted her, and blood spilled out from her mouth.  
  
Angel held her close to him, his own blood mingling with her own. He felt so devestated. He didn't even know Willow all that well, but even so, his heart ached, his chest felt tight, and he held her tightly to him.  
  
"I know," he said softly to her. "I won't hate Xander."  
  
There was so much more she had wanted to say. When Angel looked at her face again, her eyes were losing focus.  
  
"No," he said. "No!" Without even thinking, he did the only thing he could to save her, and it was the wrong thing. He bit her deep in the throat and began to drink from her blood. He then tore into his wrist and brought it to Willow's lips.  
  
Willow was caught up in the sudden ecstasy as she drank from Angel. As she took from him, it began to register in Angel's mind what he was doing. But it was too late. There was no turning back.  
  
Willow suddenly arched her back and cried out as Angel held her. Angel sat in disbelief as he watched her die.  
  
The room was suddenly still. There wasn't a sound until he lifted his head and cried out in anguish. He held her all night long, and as he held her, he never noticed the orb still gripped in Willow's lifeless hand.  
  
The magic that Willow had begun was still alive, and the orb began to glow.  
  
FINISH? 


End file.
